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Wenger - Kanu and Adebayor are twin strikers

By Richard Clarke

Big, skilful, African, signed by Arsène Wenger, given the
same Arsenal shirt number and in the form of their lives - the
similarities between Kanu and
Emmanuel Adebayor are striking.

The two forwards will be in opposition at Emirates Stadium on
Saturday when Arsenal entertain Portsmouth. Wenger brought Kanu to
English football on January 15, 1999 and Adebayor on January 13,
2006 so he is perfectly placed to compare the two
'twins'.

"There are plenty of similarities," he said at
Friday's press conference. "They both have strong and
intelligent bodies. They cover the ball and are very good with
their shoulders.

"Adebayor is maybe a little bit more bulky but Kanu was
always very shrewd as well to protect the ball.

"Kanu's in the form of his life right now. I'm not
surprised that he is playing well but I am a bit surprised by the
number of goals he scores. He has even started to score volleys
with his left foot. That was never his strongest."

For his part Adebayor has hit crucial goals against Manchester
United, Tottenham and Wigan this season. The 21-year-old openly
admits he'll be playing against his idol in this fixture
however his current manager believes there is much to admire in the
Togolese striker's own game.

"I brought him because I felt he had the qualities to cope
with English football," said Wenger. "He has the
ingredients we don't have - physically strong, technically
strong, good in the air.

"His attitude is spot on. I don't know what kind of
problems he had before but I cannot complain at all. He is getting
on well with everybody at the Club and working very hard in
training.

"What I like about him is that he doesn't give up. He
scored at Manchester United with five minutes to go and at Wigan
with five minutes to go. That quality is really important if you
are going to be a top-level team."

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